Today from the random-stuff file… Discovery News reminds us that in 2002, British social scientists set out to find the funniest joke in the world.

Researchers form the University of Herfordshire started a “Laugh Lab” program to test jokes in a cross-cultural context across all demographics. They asked people around the world to submit jokes — and to rate how funny they found jokes submitted by peers.

The winner worldwide? This little gem submitted by a psychiatrist in Manchester, England. It involves hunters in New Jersey — as if British hunters just aren’t as funny.

One soon-to-be Seattleite got more than she bargained for when she solicited advice on Reddit earlier today. She’s 26, moving to Seattle in the spring and wants to know what she should know about the city prior to her relocation.

A few kind souls pointed out that it’s a tough job market, so she’d better have a job lined up before her move. Another said that living close to downtown often negates the need for a car.

Then an angry Seattleite took to his or her keyboard and gave Ms. PerfectlySwell a few other things to consider. The long comment (posted in part below) makes us wonder: Is this the angriest Seattleite ever?

Cheer up Paul Wulff. You probably helped raise the test scores at Wazzu. A new study shows male students’ grades drop significantly compared with women when a college football team is winning, according to research by three economists at the University of Oregon. The study examined the grades of nearly 30,000 undergraduates enrolled at the […]
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Are you the first to shout out inaccuracies when watching TV shows set in Seattle? Think you can spot a piece of Seattle from any angle? Let’s see how you do with these photos of iconic Seattle sights.
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The line at Seattle’s Showbox at the Market was three blocks long Wednesday night, and everyone was there to laugh at Portland.

The creators of IFC’s “Portlandia” were in town, part of a tour promoting the second season of the quirky TV show. Wearing hiking shoes and plaid, Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein bantered about their childhoods (neither was raised in Portland), how they met (in New York) and why they chose Portland as the setting for their show (Brownstein lives there).

Then they flattered their way into the hearts of their Seattle audience. After all, is there anything we Seattleites like better than feeling superior to other Northwest cities? I don’t think so.

Just call 2011 the year of Ophiuchus, Harold Camping, Hope Solo and Courtney Stodden.

Those were some of the most popular personalities on the Big Blog this year, judging by our most-read lists. Other popular topics included space, science and sex — a fun alteration, don’t you think? But mostly, personalities drove our most popular posts.

And what personalities they were. Who could forget the 16-year-old who married a middle-aged actor? The soccer star who decided to become a ballroom dancer? The new zodiac sign that baffled the world?

At least, that’s what authorities are saying about the anticipated crash-landing of the Russian Phobos-Grunt probe, which will likely litter the Earth with debris January 14 or 15.

The probe was once a crowning jewel of the Russian space-exploration industry. It launched in 2011 to land on Mars’ moon Phobos and collect rock samples, but failed to launch into the mission’s planned trajectory.

The spacecraft was stranded in Earth’s orbit after its engines failed, meaning a nearly-full load of toxic rocket fuel is still on board.